


Hard To Handle

by defenderoflandkind



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambiguous Relationships, Gen, Half of the characters are trans but those are the important ones, I don't understand colleges, Mental Health Issues, Nonbinary Marquis de Lafayette, Not Beta Read, Stiletto Heels, Trans Alexander Hamilton, Trans Character, Trans James Madison, Transphobia, excluding John Adams, how do you title a fic, no one is straight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:16:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8143684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defenderoflandkind/pseuds/defenderoflandkind
Summary: (Aka. The story in which Alexander wears a pair of high heels for a day and it turns into something disastrous (title to be revised))After being gifted a pair of stiletto high heels, Alex decides that he should give them a go. Then things quickly start to go downhill, as most things do with him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a short joke fic for me to show my teacher my writing style but soon turned into something once more.
> 
> I wrote this in 3 days and I am exhausted.
> 
> Enjoy!

He did not completely know where all of this started, but he did know that whatever happened that led to this moment he did not regret. 

Alexander sat on the cushy mattress in his dorm bedroom, looking deeply into the mirror across the way. He looked just as he did every other day from the knee up; an unbuttoned jacket covering his vest, and a pair of tan colored breeches stretched over his figure. But if you look a bit lower you’d find something unusual. Two shiny golden stiletto high heels were wrapped around his feet. And what was even more unusual than that was how he felt about the odd choice in footwear. He actually liked them.

Admiring how they glistened in the early morning light, Alex shifted his weight to adjust the loose strap. He didn’t know if he would be able to stand up, but if he could he didn’t want to go down because of lack of support. After he was sure that he was adequately secured, the man lunged upwards by pushing on the mattress below him. 

He would have fallen if it wasn’t for the armor located next to the bed. Dazed, Alex focused on keeping himself upright. He could feel the strain in his feet and the sudden urge to give up and take them off. But he had never been one to give up. After all, his friend Lafayette had always told him that beauty is pain. And if they can almost poke their eye every morning trying to get their perfect cat eye, then he could walk in a pair of 6” heels.

After he confirmed the fact that he wasn’t going to tumble to the carpeted floor when he let go, the man slowly pulled his hand away from the piece of wooden furniture. Surprisingly, he didn’t stumble instantly. Because of the little victory, Alexander let a sharp grin cross his face. The smile didn’t last long, because as quickly as he had regained his balance he was gripping on the nearest solid structure again. 

The first step could be described as a doozy. Alex, who was so used to walking in completely flat shoes, took a step as he would always. Unsurprisingly he landed on the heel wrong, prompting a grimace and a quick grab for the furniture once more. 

“Alright, new plan…” He muttered to himself. He was a smart man, he’d be fine. He just needed to figure out how to step correctly, that’s all.

Soon enough he got the step down. Overcome with pride, he decided that it was about time to practice walking. He may be stubborn, but he doesn’t have a death wish. Leaving the apartment would certainly result in some injuries if he didn’t get this down. So just like that he began walking laps around the perimeter of his room. Sure, he stumbled a few times, but he was learning so that was fine! After walking around for a bit he limped towards the nearest bit of furniture, hoisting his upper body over it. 

Alex realized in that moment that he did not understand how anyone who wears heels regularly did it. These were killing his feet! Reaching down to rub his heel, he decided that it was about time for a break. He still had an hour until his first class; he certainly had time to waste. He layed down on his bed, scrolling through Twitter on his phone.

His social media routine was completed faster than he expected, but after he checked his clock he knew why. It was only 6:17 AM in New York City, so the rest of America wouldn’t be awake. Only the Europeans were online at the moment. Sighing, Alex turned over, deciding to think for a bit so he wouldn’t have to scroll through the same old stuff for 20 minutes. 

He was ahead in his classes, and still waiting for a reply from his long time pen pal Eliza, so there really isn’t anything he had to do. He could work on writing, but that would require walking over to his desk to get a pen, or his laptop if he was feeling lazy.

After much deliberation, Alex decided that he should go and bug his roommate, Aaron. Sure, he’d have to stand up in order to that, but I’m sure the younger man’s face would be worth it when he walked in with a shiny new pair of high heels on. Summoning up the strength, Alexander pulled himself out of the bed and started the journey down the hallway.

The two of them lived in a decently sized apartment for two orphans that weren’t particularly wealthy. Sure, they had intern jobs at a law firm down the block, but that didn’t pay that much. It was intership, so they didn’t expect much. Luckily for the two of them, their foster parents, George and Martha Washington, held a high place in the college and were able to set them up with one of the middle class suites. All they had to do was get good grades and it was paid for. Of course this was no problem for Alexander “won’t take a break ever” Hamilton and Aaron “prodigy who started college when he was 16” Burr, who had now shared the dorm for a grand total of 2 long years. 

Alex walked down the short hall that separates the bedrooms of the dorm. Surprisingly, he did not stumble or fall once. Alexander took that as a victory. When he reached the tall door he knocked briskly.

“Burr? Are you in there?” He asked. Although he would normally barge in on people, he decided against it. Aaron had always been a private person, and even had locked the door to his room for the first year they were sharing an apartment. That all changed when the younger man had gotten his arm stuck in between the bed and the wall trying to grab his cell phone and Alexander had to ask Washington for an extra key to open the door. That didn’t go over well. Alex heard a grunt from inside, telling him that Aaron was not only away, but had just woken up. Perfect. Alex grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door, sauntering inside.

“What do you want, Ale-” Aaron spun around, only to see Alexander, standing a whole half a foot taller than usual. Confused and in a dazed state from being awoken, Aaron scanned the man standing in front of him, his eyes landing on the bright heels decorating his feet. His eyes widened, looking up at Alexander’s face. A shining smile that matched the shoes on his feet was stretched across the now tall man’s face. 

“Do you like them?” Alex asked, a smug smirk crossing his features. Aaron felt his face flush as he looked up and down his roommate's frame once more. After he quietly assured himself that the two of them would never work out he worked towards answering the question. He had to admit that they did suit him well. The color looked good against his skin and when you were looking at him all at once they complemented his eyes. Not that Aaron would tell him that, it would just make him smug.

“Sure.” He responded dismissively, hoping that his elder did not notice his blush. Alex’s smile fluctuated, finally settling on a teasing frown. 

“You’re no fun,” Alex replied, “Anyways, I’m heading out soon for Writing. Should I bring you back something on my way back from class?” Aaron looked back down at his work so that he wouldn’t need to make any more eye contact.

“N-no thanks,” Aaron stuttered, picking up the pencil that had come to rest in his math textbook. Alex let out a short smile and smiled.

“Suit yourself?” He shrugged, making his way to the door, saying goodbye as he exited. As soon as Alex was out of range, Aaron slammed his head on his desk, hissing in pain.

“Is he trying to kill us?” He mumbled to no one in particular, going back to his work.

 

\----

 

Confident after his experience with Aaron, Alexander decided it was about time to head off to class. He hadn’t been stumbling a lot as of late, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t fall on his bottom when prompted to walk down a set of stairs. He’d need the 20 minutes between now and the start of his first lesson to walk to the college’s main building.

After gathering up his binder full of assorted pieces of writing, his laptop, and a notebook, he opened the door to his apartment and began the walk to his friend John Laurens’ dorm room.

The two of them had been friends since their first year of college. The two of them used to be rooming right next to each other, but after a fight with his former roommate Charles Lee, John had been moved down the hall to the dorm nearest the stairs. Alexander had no problem with this; he passed by the room on his way to the stairs anyway. Though it did such being so far away from one of his friends. Not to mention the one time he forgot that John had moved and had accidentally barged into the dorm next door and had interrupted Charles when he was in an awkward state of undress. That’s one thing John will not let Alex live down

Soon enough he reached the door at the end of the corridor. Pulling out his key, he unlocked the door that separated the hall from the dorm that John now lived in alone. 

John was not poor by any means of the phrase. In contrast to Alexander’s absent father, John’s dad, Henry Laurens, is a well known politician. Because of his father’s farmer and politician salary, the Laurens family of seven always had enough food on the table, nice new clothes, and never had to worry about housing. When John went to college, his father offered to pay for all of the expenses, including the dormitory, as long as he got into a good college. John responded by getting into Colombia, which was more than good enough by Henry’s standards. 

The family could afford to put John in a single person dorm from the start, but Henry wanted his son to make friends in his school. John probably wouldn’t have ended up fighting with Charles if they wouldn’t have needed to share their living quarters, so it’s obvious how the roommate arrangement ended up for him. 

Alex admired the large apartment. It may have been identical in layout to his own, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it from first glance. Whoever had owned the room before his friend had a sense of style. The walls were adorned with framed paintings of flowers, the furniture filled the space without making the room feel crowded, and the wallpaper matched the carpet. The decor kind of reminded Alex of the Washington’s summer home in Virginia. Maybe his foster father, who had a knack for interior design, had a say in this particular dorm. He’d have to ask sometime. 

Walking towards the only occupied bedroom, Alexander stopped to appreciate the contrast between this part of the house and the entrance. As you get closer to John’s living space it begins to look more like the living quarters of a college students. A half full suitcase was rested beside the nearest door, clothing spread across the floor surrounding it. There were papers on every solid and flat surface in sight. Alex smiled fondly. John’s dorm was an accurate representation of what his own dorm would look like if it wasn’t for Burr. 

Alexander opened the door to his friend’s bed room. John didn’t appreciate his privacy like Aaron did. Alex doubted that the man would care if you walked in on him showering. Actually, he knew that much. No one knew if it was his southern upbringing, but John didn’t feel like he had anything to hide, no matter if it’s his defined muscles from working in the fields at his dad’s house or something a bit more scandalous. 

Luckily, instead of finding John in a state that would bring back flashbacks to his experience with Charles, he found his friend seated at his desk, reading his biology textbook. He didn’t notice that he had company, even after Alex shut the door a bit louder than he had expected. He probably wouldn’t have noticed that he was 15 minutes from missing a class if Alex wouldn’t have cleared his throat a few times. 

After the fifth time Alexander cleared his throat, he let out a choking breath that finally got his friend’s attention. John jumped a little, spinning around in his swivel chair. 

“Sorry, you scared me a little.” John excused his behavior, before looking up at his friend and stifling a laugh, “What’d you do, grow 6”? You’re almost as tall as Mr. Washington.” Alex’s face went red at the mention of his tragic lack of height.

“Not funny, Johnathan.” He responded, crossing his arms, “I’ll have you know that I am only bit under average height. It’s not my fault that the rest of you are giants.” John laughed at his friend’s aggravation.

“Sure, 5’7” is a bit under average, I gotcha. You do know I’m only 5’9”, right? I am by no means I giant.” John turned back around in his chair, grabbing a textbook off of the large tower on his desk and his laptop. Once he had his stuff he stood up and looked at Alexander.

“You know what I mean! All of our other friends are like 6’4”! How do people even get that tall!” Alex exclaimed, looking down at John. His companion stifled a laugh, looking up to meet Alexander’s eyes.

“I can’t take you seriously when you’re taller than me. Seriously though, what happened?” He asked, walking to grab his dorm’s key off of his dresser. Alex frowned quizzically, looking at the back of his friend’s hair. He couldn’t believe that John hadn’t noticed. He was usually so observant. He decided that the best course of action was to walk up and step on John’s heel with his own.”

“Je- Alex! Why did you do that?” John whipped around, looking down at Alex’s feet. You could see the moment he realized what was different on his face. His features went through four different expressions over the course of two seconds; anger, surprise, amazement, and something that he could not identify. All he knew that it was something not that far from the initial amazement he experienced. Alex smirked in response to his friend’s change in expression.

“What? Like what you see?” Alexander teased, looking down at his friend. John’s eyes widened before he realized that his pal was just joking around. He chuckled under his breath, looking towards the floor. God he hoped that Alex didn’t see the blush creeping onto his face, and if he did that the currently taller man thought nothing about it. Luckily for him, Alexander just laughed at his friend.

“Jeez John, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. I hope they don’t make me look too dead!” He said cheerfully, turning around to walk towards the door so that the two of them could get on their way. In that moment John caught site of his companion’s calves. Nothing could have prepared him for that second in time. As weird as it sounds to say it, anyone who knew Alex couldn’t help but appreciate his calves when given the chance. Gulping, John walked forward, hoping to keep up with his friend. 

 

\----

 

One downside of letting Alex wear a pair of high heels is that since his legs are normally extraordinarily short he has no idea how fast he is walking. John, who at the moment is 4” smaller than his younger friend and athletic, had so much trouble keeping up with the energetic man, even on the set of stairs to the left of his dorm. He spent the entire time walking at an uncomfortable speed just to keep up with Alex. John wasn’t able to catch his breath until the two of them caught up with a familiar person. 

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Gilbert du Motier Lafayette, only known as Marie or Lafayette by his friends and Gilbert by his teachers, was always a nice face to see. Despite the fact that it was only 6:30 on a Tuesday morning, Lafayette always had a smile stretched across their features. They looked very welcoming, even in their undoubtedly tired state. John assumed that they had gotten up a whole hour ago as well. Lafayette’s motto was that beauty is pain, and even if that was mostly a joke their perfectly winged eyeliner and kitten heels said otherwise. 

“John! Alexander!” Their tall friend called from their position by the tree in front of the school, waving at them. Alex waved back, picking up the pace a little bit so the two of them could reach their friend quicker.

The two reached Lafayette quickly, and were soon ushered into a hug with their fashionable friend. John was suddenly squashed between his two taller companions. Neither of them were large by and means, Lafayette has an athletic build but is certainly not ripped and Alex is basically a noodle, but the two of them were so tall that it was kind of suffocating. And Laf’s fluffy shirt sleeve being located right by his nose did not help out at all. Now that he thought about it their shirt smelt very strongly of roses. John wrinkled up his nose.

“Ok, ok. Could y’all back off for a second. And Lafayette? I love your perfume but I’m choking on it.” John exclaimed, moving away from his buddies. The two of them giggled at his response, looking at him expectantly. John was a little overwhelmed. Not only did he have two of his particularly attractive friends standing here looking straight at him, but they were both several inches taller than him. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to survive this day. 

After Laf was finished inspecting John he turned to Alexander, inspecting him. Their smug grin turned into a bright smile when they saw the heels on the man’s feet. They lunched forward to give him a tight hug.

“Alex! You finally decided to wear them! You look très beau, mon ami! They suit you!” Lafayette exclaimed, causing John to sputter. Was Lafayette trying to kill them?

“You knew he had these?” John asked amazed. Laf hummed, looking at him gently. 

“Oui. I helped him pick them out! It was a wonderful choice, non?" They replied, moving away from Alexander. John mumbled a reply under his breath as he approached the duo. 

“Alright. Anyways, I’ve got to get going if I want to make it to biology. Mr. Foushee doesn’t like people being late and I don’t want to risk getting on his bad side so early in the semester.” He excused himself, hurrying off in the direction of the large building that held his early morning class. Laf and Alex watched him go, a little confused. Soon enough Lafayette realized what was going on, a smirk crossing their face.

“What do you think that was about?” Alexander enquired quizzically, looking at his companion. Laf shrugged, a knowing smile on their face. Alex groaned at the look on their face, a deadpan expression settling onto his features.

“Don’t give me that look!” Alex yelled pointedly, almost falling to the ground when he moved to point at Laf. His friend just responded with a few giggles before turning around and starting towards the college.

“What look?” They responded simply, sashaying off towards the large building. Alexander watched them go, wondering how they managed to walk so effortlessly in the heels on their feet. After deciding that it must be practice he rushed towards Laf, trying to keep up. He may have a height advantage on John, but not on 6’3” with kitten heels Lafayette. The two walked peacefully, soon falling into casual conversation.

 

\----

 

Alexander didn’t think that 6:40 was too early to get to a 7:05 class. That opinion he obviously didn’t share with the professer of said 7:05 class, Mr. Washington. His foster father was one of the most qualified teachers at the school, and having being on the staff for upwards of 30 years he had experience in teacher and dealing with all types of classes. So when the head of the English department had to give up the writing class on the grounds that her wife had just had their first child and she had to be home to help out she had gone and asked him about taking over. 

Writing was in no ways a hard class. The students come in, write for an hour and a half based on whatever the week’s assignment is, and leave at the end of the semester with an extra credit. Because of this Mr. Washington got to spend the period grading assignments from other classes and responding to emails. And answering Alexander Hamilton’s questions

You’d think that since the older man was the boy’s current guardian that would deter him from bugging Mr. Washington, but if you knew Alex you would understand that nothing could take away the chance to ask more questions than one person could possibly answer. And that is why George Washington was glad that the class was only once a week instead of any other number of times a week. As much as he loved the intelligent boy who he called his son he would have to admit that the student is insufferable at times.

It was currently 6:43 in the morning and George was running on coffee alone. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night due to the fact that grading for the semester was due in a bit and he had fallen behind over the weekend. His wife called him stubborn, said that she could make an acception for him if he was unable to finish in time and that he would end up feeling like death while he was teaching if he didn’t get an adequate amount of rest, but he refused. Martha shouldn’t need to shift the rules and inconvenience everyone else because he forgot the date his own assignment was due. Luckily for him he had only two classes today, the aforementioned writing course and a US history session. He could do anything in the first one and he knew the history of the country which he called home like the back of his hand, so while it won’t be a piece of cake it certainly won’t be disastrous. 

Mr. Washington had just left the office after checking in for the day. Him and his wife always commute to the college together, so they had to unlock everything and make sure that the main entrance was in tip top shape before their colleagues arrived for their first class of the day. George normally enjoyed helping out Martha, although he usually spent it trying to make her laugh to shake her out of the early morning blues, but today he was so exhausted he could barely think. He zoned out as his lovely wife scolded him on not sleeping, only nodding occasionally to keep him from passing out. 

George made his way down the empty hallways to his classroom. The school policy stated that no class was allowed to start before 7AM or end after 11PM, and no one was allowed to be in the building before 6:30AM or past 12AM unless if you were a teacher or had a pass from one. Because of this rule there weren’t usually people moseying around so early in the morning. Aside from that no one really took the morning classes. It was just the overachievers and the ones with demanding jobs that enrolled in 7AM courses; anyone else in a class that early was roped in by a friend. 

Soon the professor reached the room that was assigned to hold the class of 15 writers in roughly 20 minutes. As the door came into view George spotted two people standing by the door. He recognized the first once immediately. The green coat that was fashionable 200 years ago gave away the fact that the shorter one was Hamilton. Who was next to him though? They had a head full of dark hair tied up in a ponytail, a mint green blouse, and a pair of black skinny jeans on. Sadly that didn’t give anything away. They were only a bit taller than Alex, who was 5’7”, so they couldn’t be much taller than 5’9”. As Washington got closer the second person turned around a bit. The older man recognized that face. It was Lafayette! 

After accepting the fact that it was Laf, George continued walking for a bit before stopping in his tracks. Wait, isn’t Lafayette 6’1”? And they were wearing a pair of black kitten heels too, so they’d have to be about 6’3” currently. If that was the case why was Alexander anywhere near their height? Washington rubbed his eyes, looking at the two of them to make sure that he wasn’t imagining things. Sadly, he wasn’t. Little Alexander Hamilton was currently about 2” shorter than Laf, one of his tallest students. He felt his face shift into a frown as he walked towards the pair. This didn’t add up.

When Mr. Washington was only a few feet from his door Alexander turned around and happened to spot the man. Instantly his eyes lit up.

“Mr. Washington, sir! I’m glad you’re finally here!” Alex exclaimed, leaving Laf’s side to go and assist his professor. When he finally ended up next to George the older man took note of the fact that he was almost as tall as him at this current moment. Washington squinted his eyes, confused out of his mind. He didn’t think that he was sleep deprived enough to be hallucinating. Remembering that his foster child and student was standing right in front of him, George made an effort to change his odd look to a happier one. He succeeded, partially, and settled on a grimace in reply to the cheery greeting. If he would have forgotten his coffee he wouldn’t have noticed the way that Alexander’s face changed from a bright smile to a semi one.

“Are you alright, sir? Do you need any help? I can carry something for you if you need any help. I probably shouldn’t be carrying too much right now, but if you can’t do it I’m sure I can manage,” Alex began, only stopping talking when Mr. Washington rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Son, I’m exhausted. If you wanted to make yourself useful you’d shut up.” He answered, causing Alexander’s half smile to drop. In his tired state George thought he heard a sharp “oo” from Laf, but when he looked at them he only saw them trying to hide their giggles. Washington  smiled at that, walking over to the door.

“Good morning Gilbert. Your outfit looks nice today. Where’d you get it?” George attempted to make conversation as he walked past the student. Laf’s face lit up at the compliment. They started following Mr. Washington as the professor moved to unlock the door to the empty classroom.

“Merci, monsieur Washington! I got the top from Forever 21 and the jeans from Rue Guy! Asking for Martha?” Lafayette enquired, winking when they mentioned Martha Washington. It was no secret that Martha and George Washington were married. George was asked so many times by new students if the principal was related to him that he started introducing himself to freshmen as the principal's husband. One time a student had convinced herself that the two were siblings and almost had a heart attack when she walked into the classroom to ask George a question and they were kissing. Aside from that awkward conversation, everyone just kind of accepted it. Sure, Mr. Washington had gotten a few rude questions about his wife from inconsiderate young men, but other than that working in the same place as Martha was a dream. 

Not only was it a dream for George, but the students enjoyed it as well. When Martha subbed the students would talk to her about her husband, usually prompting some interesting tales. George will never forget the one time that Martha told the freshman class she took over for the day that her husband snored and the class hounded him about it for the next 4 years. That was a disaster. Ignoring the struggles, being the power couple of the college as a pair of teachers was quite an experience, especially now that their foster children were attending the school. 

George opened the door with a slam, letting the two students inside the room. He shivered, looking at the AC. It was only 65°F according to the controller. Shaking his head disapprovingly he turned the dial to 73°F, then turned back to the two people he shared the room with right now.

“Not asking for Martha,” Mr. Washington replied simply, “Though I’m sure she’d like to know. She’s always loved the color green.” Laf’s smiled brightened at that.

“Let me know if she ever wants any help styling with the color. It may look nice, but it’s easy to mess up.” Lafayette responded with a giggle, gesturing towards Alex. Instantaneously the boy’s head snapped towards the duo, his emerald green coat shifting with the sudden movement.

“I heard that!” He exclaimed, glaring at Laf. The giggles on Lafayette’s part increased until they were a few inches from falling off of the seat they had settled into.

“Sorry mon ami. You know I’m only kidding.” They said, dismissing Alex’s anger. Their friend snorted, placing his laptop on the table beside them and pulling out a chair. After he was seated he turned to Laf.

“Sure Marie. That’s what you always say.” He mumbled sarcastically, turning back to the laptop. Lafayette resisted laughing by pulling their own laptop out of the floral bag which they carried around to hold all of their stuff. Soon the two were on their respected writing application and working on something for another class. Mr. Washington took the down time to calm down. 

Remembering the inconsistency that he discovered a few minutes earlier, George took the time to inspect his foster child. There’s no way he could have grown roughly 6” in one night, so what happened. Washington came to the conclusion that there was only one possibility. Alexander must be wearing some fancy footwear, like platform boots, to make him seem taller. He had always enjoyed being taller than people, but since he tragically lacked the physical height he would turn to tables and chairs. On more than one occasion John, Laf, Aaron, or Herc had to pull him down from a table because he had been baited by Jefferson and was now in the middle of a heated argument. Maybe whatever fancy footwear Alex was not equipped with would stop this streak of dangerous actions involving furniture. 

Washington took a deep sip of his coffee before looking down at his son’s feet. What he was expecting was a shiny pair of platform boots, but what he got was something completely different. Alexander Hamilton’s feet were dressed in two golden stilettos, complete with a 6” heel that looked like it would break skin very easily. George almost spit out his coffee in surprise, but contained himself. So much for ceasing treacherous actions relating to furniture.

In that moment Mr. Washington decided that he was way too tired to deal with Alexander right now. Walking over to his desk at the front of the room, George had a seat, soon zoning out. He had 15 minutes until the rest of the students are supposed to be here, he’s free to relax.

A few feet away Laf and Alex watched as their professor drifted off to sleep.

“We’re going to have to wake him soon.” Lafayette whispered to no one in particular. Their friend nodded at that. Alexander knew that waking up George wouldn’t be a nice experience, but they didn’t have to worry about it yet. 

 

\----

 

The class went by rather quickly, like usual. After a little while the rest of class arrived. Surprising, the class of college students were very understanding of George’s position, and since their assignment was already printed on the board from when Hamilton got ahead last week the class came to a unanimous decision that it would be best to let the older man get some much needed rest. Alex was nominated to go to the front and take roll so that their records didn’t suffer because of their act of kindness. After roll was sent to the office through their professor’s computer, which Laf surprisingly knew what to type in to unlock it. When asked about it all they said was that Mr. Washington is a sentimental guy. Lafayette was a pretty sneaky person and best friends with the greatest spy to ever attend the school, so no one was really surprised that he knew a teacher’s password.  

Once the roll call dilemma was taken care of the class of 15 college students separated into their individual friend groups to get to work. Today’s assignment was a duo piece so that they could all get used to collaborating with each other. You were supposed to come up with a few ideas for a short, then find a partner to bounce ideas off of each other. There were 2500 words due at the end of the week so the class of tired young people had no problem with working in relative silence. After all the group didn’t want to have gone through the trouble of making sure that their teacher could sleep peacefully just to wake him up by making too much noise.

The first hour was very uneventful. Lafayette and Alexander had a meeting to discus their prompts, and decided on a short opinion piece on the upcoming election. Both individuals had very defined opinions, especially Alex, and the teacher had always had a soft spot for students who spoke up about issues plaguing the public’s everyday life, so they felt it was a good choice. The only problem would be limiting it down to 2500 words. That’s what Laf was in the group for. Alex was amazing when it came to writing long pieces, but almost always went over the maximum word count. Lafayette was the ruler of clear and concise and had a knack for hitting the maximum on the dot.

Although they had grown up speaking French and had only started learning English when they had moved to America a few years prior, Laf was good with words in both languages. Despite this fact, it always helped when they had someone like Alex, and avid writer, on their team to fix up the occasion grammar mistake and translate words that they happened to have forgotten. The two were a dream team when they put their heads together.

By the time the clock hit 8AM the duo had already began their essay and were getting close to 1000 words. Laf had started to restrain Alexander, knowing that if he were to continue on loading in his details like usual they would go several thousand words over the maximum. 

“Mon coeur, have you considered slowing down? I know you have an opinion but there is a maximum in effect on this assignment.” Lafayette inquired, their voice only a bit above a whisper. Alex looked at them, a frustrated look on his face. 

“I know Marie, but how am I supposed to make a point in 2500 words? That’s like three pages!” The man argued, looking between his laptop and his pal. Laf tisked, shaking their head gently. They didn’t understand how Alex was completely unable to write something short. They figured that the shortest thing he’s ever written was the first letter he sent them. Apparently two pages is nothing to the guy. 

“It isn’t about length, Alexander. You can make a point in 300 words if you put your mind to it and word it correctly. In fact, most people have a hard time hitting 1000 words let alone 2500. I know you have problems limiting yourself, but that’s why I’m here. Now let me take over. You’re still on the introduction, and no introduction should be 1000 words.” Lafayette responded in the most soothing voice they could muster up. Alex let out a groan, turning back to his laptop and scrolling up. Laf did the same, taking their cursor and highlighting the sets of unnecessary information and all of their partner’s tangents. Alexander watched as they hit the delete button, flinching as all of his hard work disappeared. He mumbled a long drawn out no as the word saving at the top of the document changed into the phrase “all changes saved in drive”. Once it was over he glared at Lafayette, who was holding in a snicker.

“Really? That took me a half an hour, Laf. I’d kill you if I didn’t love you!” Alex grumbled, moving back to read what was left of his precious work. He wouldn’t admit it but Laf was right, it was better now that the introduction was short. Although he liked his original 1000 words and counting version, he could work with the 200 word edition. Lafayette watched with a smile as the man read the revised version of his work.

“Better, non?” They said in response to the perplexed look on Hamilton’s face, causing Alex to roll his eyes.

“Sure, Marie. Whatever you say.” He responded sarcastically. Lafayette’s eyes lit up at the response. They knew Alexander enough to know that when he pulled out the heavy sarcasm he knew that he had been defeated. Laf smiled brightly, pressing enter so that Alex would know that it’s time to move on to the next part.

The duo went back to work with minimum struggle until they hear a slam and a hiss from the front of the front of the room. The class of students looked up towards the whiteboard to see Mr. Washington nursing a wound on his head. It was blatantly obvious that he had just woken up with a start, and a sudden movement that resulted in an injury. He didn’t seem to realize that there were many people in the room just yet.

“Mr. Washington, do you reckon you’re alright? I could go get Mr. Burnet if you’re feeling faint?” A strong voice spoke from the back of the classroom. Alexander assumed that it was Hugh Brackenridge. He seemed like he was a nice guy, but he spent all of his time around Philip Freneau and wasn’t too social so Alex had stayed away. At the words Mr. Washington looked up quickly, a bit embarrassed that he had just hit his head and hurt himself in front of 15 college students. George cleared his throat, looking at the person who had asked about `his condition.

“Thank you, Hugh, but I don’t think William wants to have to deal with someone as clumsy as I am.” Mr. Washington replied, smiling a bit despite his condition. This prompted a laugh from the classroom. One thing that most students appreciated about Washington was his sense of humor. Hugh dipped his head, acknowledging the response, and sat back down. After a few seconds of the class just staring at each other their professor’s eyes widened and he had a seat. He was dead quiet.

“Monsieur Washington?” Lafayette enquired, standing up to walk over to their instructor. He appeared to be zoning out. They didn’t want him to fall asleep again and miss his next class period so they went over and placed a hand on his shoulder. As expected, Washington looked at Laf as if they had pulled him out of a daze.

“Ah, thank you Gilbert. I’m sorry for falling asleep. How long was I out?” He said frantically, trying to play off his absence. Lafayette looked over at Alex as if he was deliberating lying before coming to the conclusion that it would be best to just tell the truth.    

“About an hour sir,” George choked at the words; Laf just continued, “But don’t fret. We took attendance for you and we’ve been working. You definitely needed the sleep, so don’t try to tell me that we should have woke you up.” Washington looked blankly at his pupil beforing sighing. The class knew that he had subconsciously agreed with Lafayette and had given up on arguing. Lafayette walked back to their seat while the teacher arranged his thoughts.  

“Alright. I guess that means there’s a half an hour left until you are all allowed to go. Just get back to work. Oh and Gilbert?” Laf’s head turned in response to their name, “Please just wake me up next time.” They nodded, having a seat on the chair next to Alex. Once the group had gone back to writing George let out a loud sigh, resting his head back on his desk. His students are way too nice to him.

The final 30 minutes passed a lot quicker than the first, which no one thought was possible, and in no time at all Mr. Washington was dismissing his students for the day, reminding them that their piece is due by 9PM on Friday and that they can contact him if they needed any assistance. They normally never did, but the older man was obligated to say that it was an option at the end of every class. Once all of the students filed out of the door, wishing him goodbyes which he happily returned, George shut the door with a bang, letting out a sigh.   
It was currently 8:35AM, meaning that there are a few hours until lunch time. George usually goes and grabs something for lunch for his wife at 12:30, due to the fact that she is usually too busy to leave the building until the day was over. Today he did not have any classes in between his first and lunch, so he usually grades some papers or goes and helps Martha with the paperwork that is constantly flooding the main office. George decided that he should take advantage of the quiet room which he has claim to until 10:30, when Mr. Paine’s American literature course begins, and get some grading done. Besides, he figures that no matter how much Martha loves him she would prefer that he keeps his grumpy sleep deprived self far away from her office until he has food. Grabbing his binder out of the bag which holds all of his school stuff, Washington got to work. 

 

\----

 

After his first class, Alexander normally goes to the commons to take a look at the listings for the week. He loves to get involved, so he is sure to keep up with what’s going on at the campus. One time he had forgotten to check the bulletin board located by the main office and had missed out on an important GSA event. Because of this he had incorporated the trip across campus into his daily routine to avoid future incidents. 

Due to the fact that neither him nor Lafayette, who had very similar schedules which are identical on Monday and Tuesday, had a class for a few hours, the two decided to make the journey to the main office together. Naturally the duo fell into their usual dynamic, Alex rambling about the world’s going ons and Laf adding their opinions when prompted. They were both very intelligent and shared many of the same views, so conversation was always lively between the two in a productive way. Today's topic of discussion was their writing piece which they had began an hour prior. It was best to keep the ideas flowing so that they don’t run dry when they go to finish up the mandatory assignment. 

Alex was having a bit more trouble today than usual. Not only did he have to focus on making sure that he was making sense he also had to make sure that he didn’t tumble to the ground. Lafayette must have noticed the grimace that was slowly settling onto their companion’s face. They stopped, forcing Hamilton to do so as well.

“Alex, are you alright?” They asked, concern lacing their words. Alexander looked at them sincerely, and Laf knew that he had something to say. 

“Yeah, I think so. I just, it’s the heels, you know? As much as I love them I feel like I’m focusing so much on doing something that I do everyday and it feels almost degrading. How do you handle wearing them so often, your feet must be killing you at all times.” Alex rambled, looking up at Laf once he finished. Lafayette giggled at the look he was giving them, throwing an arm over his shoulder. 

“Mon coeur, you think so much I can barely keep up. It’s all in practice. You can’t expect to put them on for the first time and walk the whole way around a college.” Alex blushed at the knowing words, looking down at the floor.

“I guess you’re right.” 

A comfortable silence fell over the pair for a bit as they resumed their trek. Soon enough their conversation started up once more when Alex broke the silence by cracking a joke about a poster hanging on the wall. The walk would have been peaceful if they wouldn’t have passed by a certain next door neighbor. 

A few yards from the commons Laf and Alex spotted Samuel Seabury, the person who took John’s place once he was forced to move. Currently a freshman, the young man was standing next to George King, a senior who had a reputation for having the most annoying following in the whole school. Hoping to avoid conflict, Lafayette placed themself in a place that would block Alex’s view of the pair.

Surprisingly it wasn’t Hamilton who started things, it was George King. Out of the corner of their eye Laf watched as the self declared king of Columbia pulled down the pair of sunglasses that he had precariously balanced on his nose and checked out Alexander. Then the senior proceeded to whisper something to Samuel, which caused a blush and a light laugh. Lafayette flinched, preparing for a disaster. Undoubtedly the man was going to speak up, and that could turn into something dangerous very quickly. 

“Hey Alex, you’re looking good for once! Is Gilbert finally getting through to you? He has good tastes, you’d make a better girl anyways.” George King sneered, prompting another laugh from Seabury. Instantly Alexander’s head snapped towards the particularly rude man, his face shaping into a deep frowned. Lafayette moved to stop him, but he knew once he could see the gears turning in Alex’s eyes there was no turning back.

Alex stepped towards George confidently, hands clenched. If it was anyone else Laf would have assumed that George would have left with a bruised face, but Alexander never hits before talking.

“First of all, it’s Lafayette. Only the nice George can call them Gilbert. And second of all they may have helped me pick them out, but they have not changed a thing about me. I still identify as a man and just because I decided to leave the house in a pair of heels, which by the way I am rocking, doesn’t mean that I am going to transition to become a woman. I have many other things I could say, but honestly you aren’t worth the effort.” Alexander responded, daring George to press on. The man propped up against wall’s eyes widened at the reply and his mouth dropped open, speechless. Lafayette looked at Alex, impressed that he did not end up punching the guy, and the two started walking once more.

The last thing they heard out of the senior as they walked was a noise that showed how overweening and obnoxious the man was and a complaint about how the two of them were ruining the school. Once they were out of range, Laf turned to Alex, who obviously was resisting going back and punching King in the nose.

“Thanks for not blowing up on him. I know how hard that was for you to not do.” Lafayette said gratefully, causing Alexander’s face to soften. Alex, surprisingly, did not respond to that, and the two continued the journey in silence. 

Since the commons were only a few yards away when they came across the duo of jerks the rest of the walk only lasted about a week in a half. Alexander was still walking in long confident strides because of his previous encounter. Laf’s hypothesis was that he had to do that to avoid turning back around and rushing back to continue verbally barraging the two men with insults and facts. They internally applauded his willpower.

The large bulletin board was hung precariously by two nails beside the door to the office. The support looked like a hazard to just about everyone, but no one on the staff had bothered to replace it. One of these days it was going to fall off, making a ruckus and resulting in a cluttered mess of papers and pins on the tile of the entrance, but that day was not today so it was out of the common person’s mind. 

Alex approached the newspost, instantly gearing towards the clubs listings. Columbia had a humongous array of clubs and extracurricular activities that students could get involved with to pass the time after classes. The school boasts upwards of 100 clubs, and actively promotes many of them, urging the students to join at least one. Alexander took the sentiment to heart and joined 5, and was still open to more suggestions. Lafayette, on the other hand, was only in 2. They enjoyed their free time. So while their friend checked for new club listings, Laf busied themself by sifting through the various advertisements. 

Students were allowed to stick their own ads to the board, provided they use their own pins, so you never knew what you’d see during office hours when the staff was unavailable to clean it up. After breezing over a few club ads and some questionable doodles, Lafayette found something that was of their interest. Buried under a few dorm listings and a paper on a cat which is up for adoption there was a listing for a music festival that was scheduled for the upcoming Saturday. Pulling it off of the board, Laf turned to Alex.

“Music festival?” They spoke in a questioning tone. Alexander looked up from the packet of club listings and smiled. He had always been a fan of festivals, and music as well now that Laf thought about it, so they knew he would be in.

“As long as it’s not country.” Alex joked. Lafayette laughed wholeheartedly, checking the listing once more. It said that it was for various genres, but didn’t say a thing about country, so they shook their head no. Folding the paper up, Laf pocketed it so they wouldn’t forget about it. They figured that even if they didn’t like the music it would be a good opportunity to socialize and dress up nice.

Once Alex was satisfied with how thoroughly he had checked the bulletin board, the duo decided that they should go to the park nearby until their next class. This wasn’t a new thing, Lafayette loved being outside so they would visit the park nearby almost daily, often times inviting John, Herc, and Alex to join them. Of course, the trio found it increasingly hard to say no to their French friend, so the group spent many of their days together at the local park. The pair set off again, and Alex started to remember how annoying heels were to walk in. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his head he distracted himself by starting up a conversation.

Alexander assumed that John would meet up with them at the park now that his class was over. Laurens shared his second class on Tuesdays with Alex and Lafayette, so most of the time the three of them would end up doing something in the 2 hours that they had free time. Since the park was so close they would meet up there and make plans after that. That meant that the walk was necessary at this point.

Now Aleks doesn’t hate walking. In fact it is his favored form of transportation and he will often choose to walk instead of spending money on bus fares or a trip on the subway. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that it is getting harder and harder to walk in the heels. After the little bit of walking he had done they had started digging into his ankle. He figured it may be because he’s not used to not wearing socks and that he may just need to become accustomed to the feeling of the fabric bruising his heel. Wincing on a few occasions, Alex powered on. After all if anyone else could handle this so could he.

 

\----

 

Morningside Park had been a favorite of Alex’s friend group since they had met in freshman year. It was decently sized for a park in the area and if you were feeling up to it and the weather was nice you could walk there from the dorms. In addition to the accessibility, the scenery was very nice, especially during autumn. It was a great place to study when you inevitably got bored of the library. 

When Laf and Alex arrived at the park the two instantly made their way over to their usual meeting place. Their friend group always met up at the bottom of the set of stairs closest to the university. Their spot was in between the campus and everything else, so it usually worked out. Since the weather had been great for the past few days the concrete pathways were dry, allowing Alexander a chance to sit down and recuperate. Lafayette sat down next to him while they waited for John. 

After a few minutes of sitting on the cold floor John Laurens came bolting down the stairs, and anxious look on his face and books poking out of the bag strung from his shoulder. When he spotted his two friends sitting down at the base of the stairs he let out a deep sigh, leaning on the nearest handrail.

“Sorry I’m late guys! Biology ran late and I ran into a friend in the hallway.” He excused his absence, moving once more to go stand by Laf and Alex. Once he was close enough John held out his hands to help his two pals up. They both accepted the help, since getting up in high heels is not fun without a bit of assistance. As soon as they were on their feet John started to feel a bit off. He was  _ really _ not used to Alexander being taller than him. It made him a bit awkward if he was being completely honest. It wasn’t that Alex didn’t look good, he rocked the shoes as well as anyone could, but John appreciated being taller than at least one of his friends. When the two were steady, Laf linked their arm over John’s shoulders.

“It’s ok, John. We needed the break.” They commented, earning a half smile from Alexander. John nodded, understanding their situation. He remembered how miserable it was the one time in highschool when he was dared to wear a pair of his mother’s heels for a day. The bottom line is heels are only fun in the right situation, and a standard school day is not one of said situations. 

A bit of negotiation between the three friends led to a short walk around the park to the benches where they usually study. Their next class, American Government, usually had a lot of material, so sometimes when no one was feeling up for walking they’d spend the time reviewing new information and studying for upcoming tests. So that’s what they did on the cool Tuesday in Autumn. They sat down on one of the benches, attempted to get comfortable, then pulled out their respected binders and traded notes.

The best part about having friends in the class is that if you ever missed something they wouldn’t protest sharing it with you. After the three students were adequately intertwined on the bench, Alex and John’s shoulders were touching and Laf was stretched across their laps, Alexander busied himself filling John in about the last mental health day the man had taken. Once the necessary things were taken care of the three started discussing the test that was coming up on Thursday. 

The worst part about having friends in the class is that if you ever get together to study, chances are it won’t work out and you all will end up goofing off. Inevitably, by the time an hour had passed the trio had changed topic from American Government to the upcoming holiday Halloween.

“Dude, we should all go as a group! Including Mulligan, of course. In fact, if we can't find the costumes in store and find enough parties to attend in October, we can probably convince him to make our costumes for us!” John spoke energetically, obviously very excited for the holiday. Alexander, who had been pumped about his favorite holiday for months, looked very in thought at this point. 

“Maybe, but you know he’s still busy from just opening up his shop. Sew Be It has only been open for a few months.” Laf added, their face buried in their phone. Probably scrolling through tumblr. John looked down at them, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah…”

Hercules Mulligan, or as his friends call him Herc, had finished up his education at Columbia a year prior. The oldest of the crew, he had gone to school with a major in law and a minor business and opened up a tailor and clothing shop halfway through his last semester. The man had been sewing since he was a kid and although he resented it for a decent portion of his late teenage years eventually grew to love his craft. After a crisis partway through his sophomore year, also known as the year he met John, Laf, and Alex and the four started calling themselves the Revolutionary Set, Hercules dropped law and changed his minor in business to his major, starting a new chapter of his life. He was so much happier once he was able to take sewing courses instead of being stuck in law when it wasn’t something he enjoyed. 

Now Herc spends most of his time working on new projects in the little shop in town which is called Sew Be It. Although his hands are almost always littered with colorful bandaids and stray string was almost always coating his clothing he adored his job. It gave him a chance to work on his own time and since he had developed many skills for making wonderful customized articles of clothing it payed alright, especially since most of his customers were wealthy business men and women.  

In addition to Mulligan spending most of his time in the shop, so did his friends. The small building was basically a home to the Revolutionary Set. The whirling of the sewing machine provided the background noise that Alex needed to work and it was rare to find him somewhere without at least one of his friends hung from his shoulder. The quartet spent most of their time together anyway, so it was nice having a decently sized building which they could all do their respected work in without getting too distracted.

Lafayette gave a soft smile at John’s discouraged tone, temporarily pulling off of Alex to give the man a hug.

“It’s alright John. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try?” They suggested. John’s face brightened at that, looking between Laf and Alex happily. Then he pulled out his phone and sent a quick meet up text to their older friend. Then he put it away, knowing all too well that Herc wouldn’t get back to him for a few hours.

“I asked Hercules if we could swing around about lunch time and chat.” John explained at Alexander’s questioning look. Alex’s face shaped into an o and he nodded, turning back to the laptop which he had propped on the armrest. 

The group probably looked very weird to any people who passed them by. John would have to agree with them. They were all over each other and had school supplies scattered all across the bench which they chose as their resting spot. It must have been quite a spectacle to look at. This was normal for them though, and these realizations were far from few, so he payed it no mind. If anyone gave them crap about it Alex would take care of them.

When the three are together the hours pass so much faster than they want, and soon enough Alex’s alarm set for 20 minutes before class went off. Laf jumped at the noise, but John was prepared to keep them from tumbling off onto the hard concrete below. As soon as Alexander put the alarm on silent Laf And John were looking at him expectantly

“Guess it’s time to get going.” Alex spoke, closing his laptop and sliding it into his bag. Lafayette pulled their body off of his legs and moved to stand, helping Alexander up once they were steady. With the two taller friends already standing, John took a deep breath and followed in their actions. When they were all standing they set off for the campus for their second class.

 

\----

 

American Government was a breeze. Despite the fact that the teacher, Mr. Adams, isn’t the best at his job, the material isn’t very hard, and since it’s all in the textbook Alex, John, and Laf can at least struggle through it. 

Mr. Adams was well known as the worst teacher in the school. He was moody and rude to most people, including his students. Alexander thought that they only didn’t get rid of him because no one else has applied for the subjects that he taught. One day he would be fired, but Alex probably won’t be there to see it.   

The first thing that the teacher had said when he walk in was enough to make Alexander not want to be in the class. Not only did he insult Alex, but he also insulted Laf. Lafayette had to hold John back from going and fighting him. Luckily, Quincy, Mr. Adam’s son, who is significantly more progressive and up with the times than his father, was currently part of the class and stood up for the due. Laf made note to go and thank him some time. 

Aside from the rude teacher the class was alright. Today was a review day due to the fact that the class has a test during their next period. The only problem was they had to be silent or Mr. Adams would yell at them, but the group dealt with in. Naturally they ended up in a similar position as on the park bench, resulting in a steady glare from their professor. They came to ignore it though, thinking that if it spites him it’s worth it.   

When Mr. Adams dismissed the class, Alex was the first one out of the door. It was lunch time and he was aching to go and grab something from the campus cafeteria. Lafayette stayed behind with John to thank Quincy before hurrying to catch up with their friend. 

Alexander was already a few yards down the hallway when the two exited the classroom. They didn’t find it too hard to catch up with him, for he was starting to stumble a bit. You could tell he wasn’t used to wearing the heels. John, a bit concerned for his friend’s safety, opted to ask him about the semi-limp he was sporting.

“Hey Alex? Are you doing alright?” At the words Alex looked towards John, a confused look on his face. When he realized what his friend was talking about he simply nodded, going back to focusing on walking. John frowned at the response. Alexander had never been one to take signals over talking. He looked at Laf, raising an eyebrow. Laf replied by shrugging.

The squad made their way to the room which is labeled the cafeteria. The food at Columbia was decent, though the group personally prefered getting something to eat elsewhere. They only visited the large food building on weekdays because Alexander had a discounted meal plan since his foster parents were both on the staff. Technically Lafayette did as well, but they much prefered nearby coffee shops when it came to food and had the money to purchase it due to an inheritance. 

Alexander walked into the building and made his way to the lunch lines. There weren’t many people there because most people didn’t apply for a lunch plan and unless you had one it was much cheaper to shop around and eat in your dorm. Today there was one new person in the room, but it was only a teacher. Mr. Washington was making the rounds through the lunch line, two meals in hand. Alex assumed that the second was for his wife. They were too sweet. The only other people who were in the cafeteria were a group of girls who were in their American Government class and the dreaded Virginian duo. 

If there was one person Alex hated more than Mr. Adams it was Thomas Jefferson. He thought he was so righteous and was almost as obnoxious as George King. It was not that the man was unintellegent, it was the fact that he was constantly looking down upon Hamilton. The two would have ended up getting into a fistfight long ago if it wasn’t for Jefferson’s boyfriend who had enough sense to keep him in line.

James Madison used to be nice. In fact, he used to be friends with Alexander, but then he started hanging out with Jefferson and all but stopped talking to Hamilton. Sometimes Alex wondered what the taller of the two was teaching him. One thing that Alexander couldn’t do is despise James, as much as he wanted to. He’s never been mean to Alex, didn’t seem to have bad intentions, and kept Thomas out of the trouble that he would constantly be if it wasn’t for him. 

As Alex walked past the two, Thomas stopped looking at turned his head towards the short man. His soft smile from looking at James changed into a sneer. Anyone within a 50 foot radius knew he was about to start something. He watched Hamilton as he grabbed something from the cafeteria and checked out, waiting until he was within range.

“Hamilton!” Jefferson called, getting Hamilton’s attention. He stood up, walking towards the other student, James clutching his hand and following like a lost puppy. Alexander’s confident expression changed to one of agitation. 

“What do you want, Jefferson?” He asked as the man got closer. Once Thomas was close enough that he could see the height difference he stopped.

“Wow, those heels make such a difference for you. I’m surprised. I thought you’d need a pair of ballet boots to get anywhere close to my height. What am I supposed to do with the pair I bought now?” Jefferson teased, prompting a growl from Alex. Laf and John walked up behind him, prepared to either hold him back or back him up. Whatever came first.

“I’m sure you can find a use for them. Who know’s, maybe James’ into that.” Hamilton shot back. Madison blushed at the words and Jefferson’s expression changed from rude to downright malicious. He laced an arm protectively over James’ shoulder, pulling him to his side.

“Hey, you don’t see me bringing your boyfriends into this! And maybe he is, but that isn't your information to know!” Thomas responded, causing Madison’s face to flush darker. Alexander made a face, turning away.

“Alright, I’m just going to pretend that I never heard that sentence a day in my life,” Alexander put his hands over his ears tauntingly, “And stop wasting my energy on someone like you.” Once he finished he continued walking towards the door of the building with his food, his friends trailing behind him. As he walked away the Virginian duo watched, Thomas whistling loudly once Alex took his hands off his ears to make him angry. Alexander responded by flipping him off, making his squad laugh at Jefferson.

“God, why does he have to be so annoying!” Thomas moaned when the trio left the room, flopping down onto the chair. James sat down next to him, running his hands through his partner’s hair in an attempt to calm him down. He hummed as a response, and soon the two had all but forgotten about their unfortunate run in with Hamilton.  

Hamilton, on the other hand, was fuming the entire walk to Sew Be It. 

“How dare he say that. I’m not short!” He exclaimed, walking forward aggressively to avoid pacing and falling to his knees. Lafayette smiled at him, slightly amused. That was what he got out of the conversation they had with the Virginian?

“Mon ami, I love you, but you are short.” They said gently, hoping to not set him off. Alexander glared at them.

“Which side are you on?” He accused.

 

\----

 

Sew Be It is half a mile from Columbia university, a journey that the students of the Revolutionary Set make by foot almost daily. The entire squad just genuinely enjoyed spending time together, so they did it as much as possible. It was much easier when Hercules was still in the dorms, but they made it work.

Alexander and Lafayette knew each other before they began college. They met in late high school while they were still figuring themselves out because the Washington’s had taken another child, Lafayette, in. George had never had any kids, but Martha had four, but only one survived until adulthood and had long since moved out when Aaron, Alexander, and Lafayette came around. George had always had a soft spot for children, which explains his choice of profession. He was a middle school principal for a few years before he married Martha and was allowed to progress to becoming a college professor, with a little more schooling of course. 

The two met John Laurens on the first day they were on campus. He just so happened to be moving in at the same time as Aaron and Alexander and ended up literally running into them in the hallway, dumping half of Alex’s school supplies onto the floor. As an apology he assisted the other freshmen in hauling their stuff to their room, and since Lafayette was helping out the Washingtons at the moment and Alex was objectively weak, they had to agree. After that John and Alex hung out for a bit and went out for coffee with Lafayette when they got back. The trio grew close over the week between moving in day and the start of classes and were thrilled when they were informed that they had quite a few classes together.

Meeting Hercules was more of a gradual thing that the run in encounter with John. Since he was a sophomore when the three were only freshman they didn’t have any classes together for the first half. Alexander remembers seeing the man in the hallway and being curious about him but never approaching him. He never had a chance. But finally the opportunity arose when the first GSA meeting was held and the man that he soon came to know as Herc found a seat to his left. It was that day their group went from a trio to a quartet. 

The three stopped on the way to the little shop only to grab Hercules a sandwich at a local food stand. He couldn’t get lunch at the school like them anymore because he didn’t go there, and didn’t usually have time to leave the shop until later, so they helped him out the best they could. When they opened the front door to Sew Be It the little bell hanging over the frame rung, prompting Herc’s quick movement away from the machine he was currently setting up with some more string. Not seeing who it was at first he launched into his customer spiel.  

“Hi, welcome to Sew- Oh! Hey Alex, Laf, John,” Hercules looked between them, noticing the food in their hands, “Did you get me lunch? Y’all are too nice to me,” He walked over to the the group, grabbing the sandwich from Lafayette’s hands, “Thanks dear.” 

Hercules was definitely a character. He enjoyed casual pet names, causing some confusion and sometimes awkwardness when someone didn’t understand that fact. Though no one in the Rev Set could blame anyone who thought they were dating, whether it was just two of the four or the entire quartet. Sometimes they got confused over that fact themselves. In addition to the pet name thing, his hobbies are as diverse as his preferences in romantic partners. He loves baking, sewing, football, wood carving, and just about anything else that he gets to use his hands on. And the thing that is most relevant to this current moment is that the guy could beat anyone in a speed eating contest. 

The college students watched as their older friend unwrapped the sandwich and ate it in 3 bites, right in front of them. Once he was done he looked back at his friends, who were wide eyed. They never got used to watching the man eat. It was kind of scary if they were being honest. Herc smiled sheepishly, mumbling a “sorry” under his breath, then pulled his friends into a hug to play it off. Once he was done he pulled away, looking up at Alex. Now this was unusual. Hercules was definitely not a short man, standing at 6’, and whatever his height didn’t give him his wide muscular frame made up for. 

“Hey little man. How’d you get so tall?” He asked before scanning his pal, mouth dropping into an o when he sees the tall heels on his feet, “Well that explains it. Dang babe, they make your legs look nice. And the colors all work and everything. Where’d you get them?” At his friend’s kind words Alex strikes a little pose.

“I’m not little, but thank you. Marie helped me pick them out when we went to the shopping center over the weekend.” He answered. Herc hummed in response, bending down to take a look at them.

“That’s a high heel you’re rocking. Are your heels starting to hurt? I have a pair of footlets you can have and you can see if they help? You know, the socks you wear to try on shoes?” Hercules offered, his “mom friend” instincts kicking in. Alexander looked up, as if deep in thought. Finally he smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, sure. My feet have been aching for a little bit.” He admitted. Laf placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s the feeling of hundreds of years of suffering piling on your heels all at once. You get used to it.” They said in a serious tone, only breaking into fits of laughter when Alex snorted. Hercules rushed off into another room, coming back with a set of footlet.

“Here you are darling. I’ll pull up a chair for you so you don’t have to sit on the floor.” The older man smiled gently at his friend, pulling over a wheeled chair for him to sit in. Alexander thanked him, sitting down so he can tug the uncomfortable footwear off his feet. Once they were off he slipped on the footlets and the shoes, standing up once more. The rubbing sensation was no more, which he was grateful for. After a short walk across the room his smile broadened.

“They don’t hurt!” He exclaimed, stomping his feet like an excited child. Hercules grinned at his enthusiasm, glad that his solution worked. The quartet decided that they should move their party out of the entrance and to the back where Herc got most of his work done. Moving a pile of handcrafted dresses to another chair the trio decided to stretch out on the couch opposite to the table which held Hercules’ sewing machine. Their older friend sat down and got back to work, making sure to hold conversation with his friends who had walked all the way to his shop to speak with him. 

After about 30 minutes of the quartet just sitting around and chatting Alex announced that he had to get to his next class. John, Hercules, and Laf wish him goodbye, watching him as he exited the small shop. After a few moments of silence Hercules turned to his friends.

“Is it just me or did you guys get 20% more gay when Alexander walked in with those heels on? Like dang that man can rock anything.” He said. Lafayette and John nodded.

“You bet I did.” John added, looking at the two of them, “But it was hard to become more gay than I already am.” Laf smiled at him.

“Truer words have never been spoken. But I understand that. Everyone has had such a major reaction that I’m surprised he hasn’t been mobbed yet. Even Jefferson the almighty looked like he was at least a little attracted to our sweet Alex.” They continued. Herc looked at them surprise, as if he didn’t believe them, but from the look on John’s face he concluded that it was all true. Silence fell over the group once more as they sat thinking about what to do about the situation. Suddenly Herc rose to his feet, looking at his two companions. 

“I know what we have to do,” He spoke slowly, “We have to plan an intervention.”

 

\----

 

“So why are we going back to the Washingtons’ winter house again? We live in the dorms, Marie, there’s no reason for us to be here on a Tuesday.” Alexander questioned as Lafayette pulled him by the arm towards the house. The two had taken the subway as far out as possible and were now walking on the outskirts of New York City. 

The Washingtons owned a decently sized house in New York. Their one in Virginia was much larger, but this one was only here so they wouldn’t have to stay in hotels the entire school year. Besides, it was more practical to own one, considering the fact that they were in New York from September until May, excluding major holidays. 

“I told you, Martha made something that we’re supposed to pick up.” Laf huffed, lacing their fingers around Alex’s wrist. They were trying their best with the excuses, although they could tell that their friend didn’t believe them entirely. Alexander let out a sigh, following Lafayette. It’s not like he could escape them.

When they reached the house everything seemed normal. The Washington’s car was in the driveway, left unusable due to the heavy traffic in the city. The vehicle was only in New York because they needed it to drive back home to Virginia. It was getting late and the sun was setting behind the building. It had just started getting darker early so the two weren’t quite used to the darkness yet.

Lafayette pulled a key out of their purse, walking forward to unlock the door to the house. Once they were able to swing it open they held in in place, beckoning Alex inside. 

“After you, mon fleur.” They said, bowing lightly. Alexander smiled at them, saying a polite thank you before walking inside.

Like the Washington’s summer house in Virginia, the one in New York had a nice set of decor. You could really tell that George had spent a decent amount of time on it, from the paintings which shot off the walls and the color of the wood standing out against the flooring. Alex couldn’t help but admire the quaint living space every time he passed through it. But now was not the time to appreciate the surroundings, which was evident by the look on Laf’s face when Alexander stopped walking. His face shaped into a passive one, putting up his hands in mock surrender, earning a snort from the French native by his side. 

The two made their way to the sitting room, where Alexander immediately spotted someone he didn’t want to see twice in one day.

“Why is  _ Jefferson _ here?” Alex sneered. Everyone but Jefferson grimaced at the statement. They didn’t want the two to get into a fight when there was an important matter to discus. Thomas snorted at Hamilton. 

“Oh please, like I want to be here.” He retorted, crossing his arms. James grabbed his shoulder, as if to try to keep him calm. Alex sometimes wondered about that, but didn’t ask about it. He didn’t want it to seem like he cared about Jefferson. Alexander turned to Laf expectantly.

“So why are we all here?” He asked. Lafayette twiddled their fingers, looking at Herc and then at John.

“We kind of, um, scheduled an intervention for you?” Laf could see the exact moment Alex processed the words. It was obvious from the way his face dropped and his hand tightened into a fist. 

“You, what? Why?” He inquired incredulously. Just as expected.

“We feel that we need to tell you something about your heels.” They continued. Alexander raised an eyebrow at that.

“What?” He questioned. In that moment the room went silent. No one wanted to say it, which was understandable. You don’t understand how hard it is to tell your friend that the heels he picked up at the mall made you question your feelings toward him until you are in a room with several other people who feel the same way attempting to drop the bomb. After a few seconds of awkward quiet John couldn’t take it anymore.

“Your choice of footwear is encouraging gay thoughts and although we appreciate your dedication to looking good be do not like the questions they bring up!” He exclaimed quickly. Everyone in the room looked at him as his face flushed. He had said it perfectly in their eyes, but it still sounded rather confusing. Alexander looked around the room quizzically. 

“Is that why you’ve called me here today?” He asked. When no one responded he took it as a yes. When the conversation did not continue Alex turned around and started to walk back towards the door, leaving Laf to follow him and a few concerned people on the couch.

 

\----

 

Not only did Alexander not stop wearing the heels after the planned intervention, he also went out and bought a few more pairs in different colors. If you were to ask him why he did it he would shrug, but the look on his face when he did gave everyone the idea that he was doing it to spite everyone in the meeting. In addition to the new sets of footwear he also developed a habit of upping his flirting when around other people, specifically with people who were in the room where it happened. This frustrated Thomas to no end, and after about a week had passed since they had all met up he started to complain to James about the situation. 

“Can you believe the audacity! He gets told one time that he looks good in a pair of heels then he starts flirting with me!” Jefferson shouted. Madison looked at him softly, running his hands through the taller man’s hair.

“Don’t blame Hamilton, he’s just running on the complement. He’s about to crash anyways, leave him alone.” James stated knowingly. Thomas looked up at him, a slight irritation showing on his face.  

“What do you mean?” He asked. His boyfriend sighed. He had to admit that his negative emotions towards the other man really did blind him sometimes. 

“Hamilton is starting to break down. He was fine with the heels at first, but now they are starting to make him anxious. It’s best to not bug him about it. I’m sure that’s the last thing he needs.” James explained. Thomas hummed, letting out a deep sigh as if to say that he wouldn’t. James silently wondered how long that would last. 

After a little bit Thomas left for classes, leaving James alone to think. He decided that it was about time he went on a Hamilton hunt.

 

\----

 

When Alexander needed to think he normally went to the park or the library. Since it wasn’t cold outside yet the man found himself sitting on one of the benches in Morningside park. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, all that mattered was that he felt terrible. It felt like his anxiety was trying to swallow him whole just because he decided to wear a pair of painful but gorgeous shoes for a week. 

He couldn’t tell what brought it on but he felt the need to move. If his heart was beating so quickly in his chest he might as well give it a reason to. Not wanting to socialize with anyone at the moment he started up the stairs by the university.

It would be misfortune that lead him to run into James Madison. The short man was standing at the top of the stairs, preparing to walk down, when the whirlwind of a man sped past him. Remembering what he had been wanting to do, James called out to him.

“Hamilton!” He called, causing Alex to stop short in his tracks.

“What do you want Madison?” He spoke slowly and deliberate, like he was willing himself to not crack under the pressure. James noticed how the man did not turn around to face him when he spoke, which he would have taken of a sign of disrespect under any other circumstances. Walking towards the other student, he placed a hand on his shoulder which was quickly flinched off.

“Are you alright?” He asked, making sure that he didn’t sound rude. With those words Hamilton turned around, showing his wild eyes which had large bags underneath them and flushed red face. He looked like he was seconds from a panic attack. James suddenly understood why no one else seemed to be worried about Alex. He recognized that face. That very specific emotion which created the toxic concoction that was Alexander’s expression. Madison couldn’t stop himself from lunging forward to give the man in front of him a hug. After a few seconds he felt Hamilton start shaking.

“I thought I could handle it,” He replied breathlessly, like a man who had just finished crying for hours and was still out of it, “But clearly I was mistaken.” James lead the shaking student to a nearby bench and helped him sit down.

“What did you think you could handle?” He encouraged gently, being careful to not step over any boundaries. The two were not close, and he didn’t want to scare him off. 

“The heels. I thought I could handle them, but I ended up  _ liking _ them. I spent too much money to end up liking them!” Alexander practically blubbered, trying his best to hold in the tears. James knew exactly what he was talking about.

“It’s ok, Alexander. Just because you like the heels doesn’t mean that you are any less of a man. And if you are that’s alright too. No one is going to hate you because of it.” James confronted the trembling man, rubbing circles in his back.

“Are you sure?” Alex asked, looking at James expectantly. He nodded.

“Of course.”

A few minutes passed as the two sat on the bench in silence. Once Alex had recovered enough to form longer comprehensible sentences he spoke up.

“Thank you James. Do you think we can talk to the others about this?” He suggested. Madison shrugged, a welcoming smile on his face.

“That is up to you, my guy.” The unusual phrase earned a little giggle out of Alex, and the two parted ways, but not before texting their friends about another meeting.

 

\----

 

Alexander Hamilton was not ready for this. After his encounter with James he thought he could tell anyone about what he was feeling, but clearly he was wrong. He was jittery and couldn’t stop himself from pacing as he awaited his friends and company’s arrival in his dorm. He kept on repeating what he was going to say in his mind until the knock on the front door interrupted his thoughts.

Swinging open the door, Hamilton did not give much of a greeting. He rushed his pals inside without any explanation, and closed the door cautiously. Once everyone was settled in he had a seat beside James, resulting in a few eyebrow raises from Laf, Thomas, and Aaron, and let his mouth do its thing.

“Do you all know why I have called you here today?” Alexander began. No one gave a straight answer. There were a few joke guesses from the Revolutionary Set in an attempt to lighten the mood, but the only person other than Alex who knew what was up refused to say a thing so as soon as the jokes had ceased silence filled the room. Alexander shut his eyes in acceptance and prepared to launch into his story.

“So the high heels thing. I liked them. They looked nice on me, and you guys obviously liked them too. The keyword here is liked. Once the novelty of the new pair of shoes wore off I started thinking about them. About how they made me feel. They made me doubt all of my decisions over the past ten years and made me wonder if I had made a horrible mistake and wasn’t actually a guy. But I didn’t want to make you guys worried so I kept on wearing them.” Alex concluded his storm by looking down. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and a short squeeze. It was James telling him he did good. The quiet only lasted for so long until someone broke it.

“Mon ami, I had no idea you felt this way,” Laf mumbled, “I thought that the heels made you feel good about yourself, which is why I supported it.” Alex chuckled halfheartedly at that.

“They did at first, until they started to hurt. But it’s not your fault, it’s mine.”   
“That’s nonsense and you know it, Alex. You can’t help your feelings. And we were the ones who pressured you into wearing them for longer than what you were comfortable with.” John supplied, moving across the room to give the still shaking student a tight hug. Alex gratefully returned it.

“Thank you for understanding.” He replied, giving in. The Revolutionary Set moved Alexander over to their own personal couch, taking him into a cuddle pile as a way to cheer him up. Soon enough he was sporting a soft smile. Now it was Thomas’ turn to speak.

“Hamilton.” He started, wincing when Alex’s smile dropped at his words, “I know you don’t really like me, and to be honest I wasn’t too fond of you either, but I’d like to let you know that you’re not alone. I too experience anxiety over my identity and often feel invalidated by it, but James has been able to pull me out of it in the past. I’m glad he could help you out as well.” When he was finished his story, Alexander looked at him, his face changing to one a little more pleasant.

“Thank you, Jefferson.” He responded. Thomas dipped his head.

“If you ever need someone to talk to about your anxiety my door is open. But make sure you tell it that’s what you’re here for so I don’t end up arguing with you.” He joked, making Alex laugh. Once everyone had added their own bit of encouragement James, Thomas, and Aaron left, leaving the Revolutionary Set in a pile on the couch.

“That turned out better than I hoped.” Alexander commented. 

“It always does, Alex.” Laf hummed their response. 

The quartet fell asleep in the pile after a few minutes, surprising Aaron when he came out in the morning for breakfast only to find a giant pile of bodies still taking up the entire couch. And in that moment he knew that they would make an insufferable couple.

After that day Alexander started saving the heels for special events, and eventually dropped them all together. As much as he loved how they looked they really did a number on his heels. Following the occasions in which he did wear them, however, John, Laf, and Herc were sure to spoil him as he dealt with bruises from the material. And once they all had faded the four of them would curl up under the blankets of their shared bed and form a pile reminiscent to the one that had started it all. It appears that when Aaron actually has an opinion he tends to be correct, at least in matters involving his friends. 


End file.
